as in to trigger
to cause to function
his obscene comment touched off a heated debate about the need for censorship on live broadcasts
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Recent Examples of touch off
Your case touched off a global movement.
—
Maer Roshan, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
Last month, the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s editor wrote that a recent job applicant withdrew from consideration for a reporting fellowship after discovering the position included filing notes to an AI writing tool instead of actually writing stories, touching off a heated debate in media circles.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026
In the immediate aftermath of the finale versus Canada, the nationwide celebration also touched off some controversy of its own.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 1 Mar. 2026
During the war, Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic ordered the ethnic cleansing of the majority Albanians in Kosovo, burning villages and forcing some 700,000 Kosovo Albanians to seek refuge in neighboring Albania, which touched off NATO intervention.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Maer Roshan, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
Last month, the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s editor wrote that a recent job applicant withdrew from consideration for a reporting fellowship after discovering the position included filing notes to an AI writing tool instead of actually writing stories, touching off a heated debate in media circles.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026
In the immediate aftermath of the finale versus Canada, the nationwide celebration also touched off some controversy of its own.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 1 Mar. 2026
During the war, Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic ordered the ethnic cleansing of the majority Albanians in Kosovo, burning villages and forcing some 700,000 Kosovo Albanians to seek refuge in neighboring Albania, which touched off NATO intervention.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touch off
Verb
-
The incident triggered a grand jury investigation.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
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These seemingly innocuous actions can kindle dry grass, potentially triggering a wildfire.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The lefty underwent an elbow cleanup procedure at the start of the offseason; the Yankees hope to activate him sometime in April.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Like a grill, when activated by an operator, the drone stations open a lid.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Graves’ exit has sparked intense speculation about his potential successor to represent Missouri’s 6th Congressional District, which stretches across northern Missouri and touches Kansas City’s Northland.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
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The story quickly sparked fury among Threads users, with many siding with the original poster and criticizing the seat swap request.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The decision to inaugurate the first urban Six Senses property in Rome was partially driven by the owner’s love of all things Italian and is part of a new drive to bring sanctuaries to bigger cities.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
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Objects that are outdoors should be secured and caution should be taken if driving.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Investors are now bracing for the war to last for some time, which would likely set off inflation in global markets and could stunt Asia's economic growth.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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Odom set off that October for Hof’s Love Ranch in Crystal, about 80 miles outside of Las Vegas.—
Assistant Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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While none of the commodities are traded as widely as oil, the surge indicates how ripple effects from the Middle East conflict could end up restricting production of the semiconductors that power artificial intelligence advances.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
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Cylinders of fluid gas, which power everything from taxicabs to cooking appliances, vanished from many distributors.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Records show frequent transfers—sometimes in rapid succession—moving funds from TourProdEnter to the Florida LLCs, and in some instances continuing even after a company had been formally dissolved.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
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But their discharge petition, introduced last week, is short of the 218 signatures needed to move forward.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touch%20off. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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